I A M
by Jessiy Landroz
Summary: Based after City at War arc. What if the guys never managed to get Che'rell off Raph's head? RaphKarai centric [Progressing]


Chapter One: -The Turtle-  
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There was pain, a lot of pain.

It was sharp, thumping against my tender brain.

My head, I felt like it was about to explode!

With a deep, thirsty inhale of a gasp, as if I were drowning in an ocean, I weakly pried my heavy eyelids open by sheer will alone. I was so, so tired and spent. I couldn't even focus on my surroundings, everything was blurry, swimming in a watery vision and dancing with bright, white lights. I was too tired to think, or much less care if I'm alive or dead, all I wanted was to sleep and rest.

I felt weird, I can't explain it, I felt like I was missing something, or someone, I'm not sure.

I was feeling so very rigid, my whole body hurt and felt so heavy and stiff, I twitched my fingers, and that caused my nerve system to send jolts of pain all through my arm and up to my brain; my whole arm ached, I felt so stiff, I couldn't even more without triggering some sort of pain, a groan escaping my throat, as a hiss slipping through my clinched teeth.

With stubborn determination alone, I furrowed, feeling the tightness between my brows.

Now bending my aching arms, just a little, I ignored the jolting pain that went searing through my tight, tense muscles, and put my flat hands on the cold floor below me, slowly pushing myself, trying to sit up. I was on my face, I realized, it explained why everything looked bright when I moved my head, and why everything was spinning when I tried to look through the intense brightness, and why my cheek felt so cold once it parted the marble floor.

I inhaled again, allowing the cool air to slip delicately down my dry, thirsty throat, but almost gagged at the coppery taste that invaded my tongue, raking and disturbing my guts! I felt something hot, salty and bitter lurking at the back of my tongue, like a giant slug, it was latching to the ceiling at the back of my throat, almost blocking the passage for air, making the feat of breathing even harder to do.

But before I knew any better, my mouth watered and I felt a slight hollowness forming up the back of my throat, as if the invisible slug had moved away. I knew I was going to throw up so I hastened to move to another position, not wanting my own guts so spill on me.

I don't want any of my puke to land on me, but I couldn't move, I felt much too heavy to pull off that simple task. I realized I was laying flat on my stomach, and I couldn't roll over to my back, there was something stopping me from doing so.

With a disgusted grunt, I endured the tug in my throat, I pushed myself to my hands and knees, sitting there with my head hung between my trembling arms and squared shoulders, tears forming in my eyes and without warning, my tongue bristled and saliva dripped from my lips, slowly stretching out to the floor in the form of glittery thread. Not a moment later, another coppery taste assaulted my tongue, tasting clearer and saltier than the one I've smelt before, and it disturbed my inside even worse!

In a hush of sticky, mossy warmth, the waters inside my rushed up my throat and out of my nostrils, splattering on the once cold, lifeless marble floor; I squeezed my eyes tight as my tears dripped from my eyelids, and staggered for a moment as another wave of nausea found it's way up my throat. The pain kept searing through my chest, neck and throat, I kept throwing out my guts for what felt like hours, before I was able to stop myself from gagging.

Coughing, spitting the nasty aftertaste of blood- and something I could not identify, I preyed my heavy eyelids open, forcing them off my blurry vision. I cringed in disgust, trying my best to endure the stench and reek of gory blood that I lay besides in exhaustion; blood that rushed out of my throat, splattering on the floor and staining my hands and face. Ugh! It was disgusting, a molted, splattered mass of icky, sticky reddish slime.

One thing I'm sure of, my stomach was now empty.

Looking at what was previously inside my stomach, I glared through my hazy eyes.

Blood… it was all just blood.

Lightheaded, tired, drained and plain dizzy, I scoot away from the foul mess of blood, and crawled towards the nearest wall, my back resting to the hard surface. I was mighty thirsty, but the nasty aftertaste of blood clung to my taste buds, I didn't want to swallow back what I've just vomited, it was just too disgusting to think of. I couldn't taste anything else either, it was terrible.

I tried to clear my head, to calm down, to concentrate, but I was feeling too darn tired, so exhausted.

After what felt like hours, drowning in complete silence, I opened my eyes and blinking once, twice, and then rubbing a teardrop from the corner of my eye with the back of my hand, realizing that I have fallen asleep.

My sight had cleared a bit, all thanks goes to the small rest I had just awoken from, so I decided to gaze around.

I was trapped, imprisoned in a cube shaped room with no windows or doors, I see no exit or entrance, but since I'm in here, there must be an exit somewhere, or how else did I get in here? The room was floored with fine, white marble, it was slightly molted and the faintest shades of grey. Heck! Even the walls and ceiling were coating with marble tiles, I don't get it.

Only my earlier misfortune stained the fine clean floor, and it's reek was already reaching my weary senses. I glared at the disgusting pool of red and brown, the smell was spreading quickly across the room, it reeked even worse now that I've acknowledged it!

I weren't too comfortable with the smell, it was- strong!

I think I've smelt something like this before.

It caused my heartbeats to throb in the sides on my head, it felt very strange, yet familiar in a way, but it almost felt as if I was prevented from remembering something. Rubbing my head in hope to ease away the pain, I drew down my hand to rub my eyes, the room was white and it was pretty bright, it was starting to hurt my eyes, though I don't see the source of the brightness.

I eyed my hand and was just a bit startled.

My hand was- green? I only had three fingers, too.

'_Odd…_' I blinked and for some reason, I weren't scared, I felt like I've seen this hand before.

This is my hand, right? Lifting my other shaky palm, that I used to support my weight while leaning back against the wall, I put my two hands together, now faintly curling and uncurling my fingers, ignoring the faint jolts searing trough my arms. Touching about the rough skin and the tiny, faint yet visible lines that littered my hands, they oddly resembled cuts and scares.

There was a leather-brown wristband on both my wrists, and for some reason, for some strange notion, as in knowingly, I touched the base of my left wrist and I felt the faintest hint of hardness there. '_I remember- I cut myself with a knife there, right?_' I furrowed. But I was quickly jerked out of my thoughts as a terrible jolt of pain hit my brain, forcing a small sharp yelp from my throat.

Clutching my head, I took a breather, calming myself and my racing heart.

Why do I remember that? Come to think about it, who am I, anyway? I can't remember.

With my heartbeats growing louder in my ears, I squeezed my eyes tight and grit my teeth, now curling over myself, I lay to my side, welcoming the cool, heartless silence of the empty room. Hugging myself, trying to level my breathing, ignoring my bitter-tasting throat, the bad coppery taste from my mouth, I felt my body loosen up, and my eyelids began to drop, I feel so cold and tired.

I just couldn't go on anymore, I was spent.

'_Where am I, and what am I doing here?_' I asked myself, surrendering to the silence.

Suddenly, there was a low soft hissing sound; it went 'Fwoosh!' or something of the like; there was also the humming of what sounded like some sort of machine, but it did not sound like anything I was familiar with.

I moved my head just a little, trying to tell where the sound came from. It was from the opposite side of the room, and it was a door sliding open. There was a tall, well built figure, there were three others walking behind it.

This figure, it was human, I could tell from curved hip and narrow waist, also the pale ashen skin, green eyes and raven black hair, the black tight suit and grayish vest-piece told me this person is from a clan, the red flame-like mark dignified- her as a clan member, if not a leader. I glared at the symbol, I knew I've seen it somewhere, I just can't recall where.

There were three others, they dressed differently than this woman, her three followers, they looked rather- intimidating. From where I lay helpless on the floor, peering out at them, they just glared down at me with their bright, red eyes.

She was a woman, well built and clearly their leader, or something close to that position. The three men behind her looked freaky, with black suits and red cloaks, they had some weird, yet neat looking hats, though; and each one of them carried a different weapon.

Anyway, another three stepped into the room, they looked like the average, everyday janitors. They silently walked in, they had masks on their faces and wore black glasses. They cleaned up the mess I tossed earlier and then made way out. All during their clean up, I was watching them, too tired to breath, and she said nothing.

Once the janitors were done and left the room, she stepped towards me, now kneeling right next to me, she put a hand on my cheek, cupping it gently and for the life of me, I couldn't explain the shiver that jolted my whole body, I even sucked in a small inhale, almost gasping. She was so warm! I was so cold and so tired, but her touch oddly triggered my whole body to a strange shiver, snapping me out of my sleepy daze.

"How do you feel?" she asked, her voice serious yet- concerned?

'_Tired…_' I weakly murmured, no longer able to keep my eyes open, it was too exhausting to even breathe.

I felt her nod, her hair bobbing slightly as she moved her head. She shifted a bit, I felt the soft vibration of footsteps on the floor, though I didn't hear anything, but I knew they were coming closer to me. "We'll take you to another room." She told, her hand sliding from my face and down my neck.

The shiver came back, I can't explain it, it felt- weird.

Her needle-like fingers touched the base of my neck, pressed slightly over a throbbing vein, "Blood loss…" she murmured.

I heard a soft grunt, so I'm guessing one of the three guys replied to her.

I don't know what happened after that, all I remember was feeling faint, there were voices and then there were hands touching me, on my shoulders, on my neck and my legs, it felt very uncomfortable, but I was too tired to object. I was carried, the arms of my carrier were huge and tight, strong, I felt captive and I tried to bring myself to fight back, but couldn't, I was hardly able to keep my eyes open, much less fend for myself.

I feel so vulnerable.

I wish if I knew what was going on, I feel so- threatened.

….

It didn't take long before I regained my senses.

Of course, that's when my guts started aching again, my sore, tense muscles and body refused to work like I want them to.

It was getting warmer and I realized I was on my back, but my spine felt- hard and stiff, and- dome like? How strange, I don't think I'm human, am I? I have the feeling I am not a human and somehow, that bothers me a bit, but in the same time, I accepted the idea of not being human. I can't explain why, for I don't know why; maybe because I feel so drained and tired, and because I've lost so much blood, I just don't give a damn?

I fluttered my eyelids again and this time, I eyed a night lamp on a study desk nearby. The room was fairly dark and from the window-for-a-wall, the starlit sky tells me it's awful late at night anyway, only the small humble night light illuminated the room. After blinking a few times, clearing my blurry swimming vision, I realized I was in a bedroom and it looked- expensive?

I'm not sure, all the fancy stuff decorated the walls and floor, I can't explain the feeling inside of me, it was somewhere between overwhelmed awe and disgust, I don't know why. Did it have anything to do with the black piece of cloth, and the red flame-like symbol that decorated it? I'm not too sure; but I think that was a part of the reason.

Before I knew it, I felt queasy again and I knew I was about to throw up again. With a sickened grunt, I grit my teeth and looked around, forcefully, pushing myself out of bed, and towards a door I figured was the bathroom; fortunately, it was. Quickly heading towards the toilet, I fell to my knees and my mouth watered just like before, my eyes blurred with tears, I gagged and my guts went up my throat again.

I don't know what's wrong with me, why do I feel so nauseous, and why do I keep barfing blood? Questions roamed my mind as the throbbing against my brain returned, it was thumping hard, I couldn't think.

"Ah, there you are!" I heard a voice and I recognized it was that woman from before.

I couldn't answer her, my guts were burning and my head hurt, it weighted like a ton of bricks!

I felt her hand on my forehead, keeping my head up a little, as another delicate hand rested on my shoulder, gently rubbing my arm, waiting patiently until my sickened moment stopped. Once the pain had subdued, she allowed a moment of peace as I regained my breath, before she spoke, "Come now, let me get you cleaned up." She gently tugged at my heavy arm, guiding me to the sink, offered me a small towel and then turned the tap, letting the cool water run down, "The doctor is here to see you, you'll be alright." She comforted.

I was too dizzy to care, I latched to the sink and let whatever was left of my guts up my throat again, but now it was mixed with my spit and bitter aftertaste. Yet even the cool waters only helped a little while rinsing my mouth; it still hurt!

Reluctantly freeing my arm from her hold, I cupped my hands under the running water, before I splashed the cool waters on my face, and only then did I take note there was something latching to my face!

Half overwhelmed by relief, half-confused at the object circling my face, I curiously peeled it off. It turned out to be a long, sash-like piece that resembled a mask, it was darkly colored, probably because of the wetness and the blood that soaked it, I could not identify its color, but I didn't care, I left it on the sink and allowed the woman to lead me out, soon entering the bedroom once again.

I realized, once there, that there were three people waiting.

"Ah, I'm glad to see you are alright." an Asian looking man smiled, his silken, raven black hair and sharp brown eyes told me things I could not say. Cringing slightly in both discomfort and alarm, I did not feel too safe being near him, "How do you feel?"

I furrowed, drained and tired, though this man looked awfully familiar, and his presence oddly sent a message of danger to my brain, but for the life of me, I can't remember who he is, "Tired." I murmured weakly.

The woman did not release my arm yet, she guided me towards a bed and ushered me to sit, I was too tired to object.

The Asian man nodded, then turned a rather young looking, redheaded youth in a lab coat, "Dr. Chaplin, I expect our guest to be up to shape, and is nursed back to heath as soon as possible." His gaze slightly darkened, "I want no mistakes, understood?" he said in a warning tone.

"Yes, sir." The young doctor nodded obediently.

"Karai, I want you to keep our guest company until my return." The Asian man spoke to the green-eyed woman, and then turned to the giant blond man who stood next to him. The giant was glaring down at me with what looked like a hateful sneer, but he quickly hid it when the Asian man turned to him, "Hun, I want you to keep an eye out for any _trespassers_, understood?"

"Yes, master." The giant blonde man bowed his head.

Not long after that, the Asian man gave me a strange, eerie smile and then left the room after wishing me a goodnight; the giant blonde man sent me a hateful glare, which I retuned equally and watched them both depart. Feeling still drained and tired, more so now than before, I watched the redheaded doctor as he attended to some cuts and bruises on the sides of my head, in which I have no idea where they came from.

"Well then, shall we start?" the redhead said, smiling at me in a friendly manner.

The woman, Karai, put a hand on my shoulder, "It will not take long, please be cooperative." She requested.

Staring into her emerald green eyes, I nodded, but edged away from the redheaded youth when he came closer.

Somehow, being near a doctor didn't feel too assuring.

….

Something inside of me told me I shouldn't be here.

It was about two hours later, with the doctor poking small needle-like objects into my body, I felt violated and very uncomfortable. There was a deep, familiar sensation inside of me, it told me I shouldn't like this doctor, or doctors in general, anyway.

The monitor nearby was recording things, my heartbeat rate, blood pressure and what type of blood I've got, brainwaves and other contraptions I could not understand. The redheaded youth was setting a medical record, Karai called it, saying it's to watch my health and progress. As soon as the young doctor was done, I was told to rest once more.

I watched the redhead go outside of the room, the door was left slightly ajar, Karai, the raven haired woman, spoke with him and not too long after that, the Asian man came back.

I didn't say anything, I just laid back on the bed, half awake, half daydreaming and away in my thoughts.

I didn't like the way the Asian, raven haired woman was eyeing me.

I was faking sleep, watching them through the faint slit of my droopy eyes, but with an eerie sensation, I felt that she already knew I was awake and I needn't try to hide it. I knew she was listening to the redhead, the Asian man was looking at me like he knew something I didn't, it was beginning to get on my nerves, and I didn't like the way he was smiling.

Soon, the redheaded doctor and the raven-haired woman left, leaving the Asian man behind in the room with me. As weary as I was, I forced myself to sit up, watching him as he approach me. His face blanked with his hands now folded behind his back, he stood at the foot of my bed. I just sat on the side and let my feet dangle, and tried to endure the throbbing pain gushing into my head. I was feeling tired, too tired.

"Well now, do you feel better?" he asked, voice quiet and curious.

"Yeah, but I'm still tired." I rubbed my head, slightly flinching when my fingers brushed over a few node-like bruises that circled the sides of my head. I managed a glance to a mirror earlier, and they looked- weird, to say the least; I wonder what caused them.

He nodded at my simple reply, and then spoke again, "Tell me, what do you remember?"

I eyed him, wearily, wondering if he knew more than he let on, "Remember?"

"Yes, for example, what's your name?" he hinted, a strange glint shone in his eyes.

I paused, rubbing my head once more, I ignored the bitter taste that welled on my tongue, "I- I can't remember." I murmured.

He straightened up, pausing for a moment, "Your name is Raphael, my friend." He answered quietly.

I blinked at him, "Ra-fa-el?" I rolled the word on my tongue, "It- it does sound kinda familiar…" I admitted, furrowed and looked at him, that eerie uneasy sensation welling inside of me again, "How did ya know my name was Raphael?"

He nodded, smiling strangely, "I will explain later," He said, rising his chin a bit, "Do you remember anything else?"

For what felt like ages, I urged my mind to function, to try and remember what I could, but by every passing minute, I just felt- sick! It made my guts ache and my throat warms up, threatening to barf out more blood. If what that raven-haired woman told me is right, she said this guy is Oroku Saki, and that he's her father, and- a friend, that he took me in after he had found me abandoned in an old sewer tunnel, battered and bruised.

Trying to remember things only hurt my head a great deal, "I feel like someone run me over with a steamroller." I muttered.

For a moment, he fell silent, and then questioned, "Pardon?"

I opened my eyes, and something went blank. I eyed Saki, feeling puzzled.

He arched a brow, but I could tell his mood darkened, if only for a visible bit.

I blinked a few more times, and then rubbed my head, "It's nothing…" I waved a hand.

He furrowed, taking a step closer, now his arms unfolded from behind his back, folding over his chest, "Do you not know?"

"Know? Know what?" I asked, wondering what he was talking about.

Saki crossed his arms over his chest, dark mood withering away, his demeanor relaxed almost bemusedly, and then he tilted his head a bit. "Tell me, do you remember anyone by the name of Leonardo?"

I eyed him nervously and felt something click in my head, but couldn't pinpoint what it was, "Leonardo?"

Oddly, he smiled, if only a tiny hint or humor curling at the corner of his lips.

"What?" I asked defensively, I didn't like the way he was smiling.

"Leonardo is one of your three brothers," he paused, no longer smiling, "the same three who had abandoned, who had left you there to die you when you needed them the most!" he told.

For a long moment, I stared. '_What- brothers? Abandon me? What's he talking about?_'

I found out that- I really weren't all that eager to find out what I missed.

I feel so very ill and it's not because of the coppery taste climbing up my throat again, either.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N: Rewritten and reported. Hopefully I wont abandon this story, I'll get back to it when the bunnies for Fallen leave me alone… maybe…


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